Neon Gensis Evangelion: Welcome back to Reality
by Salad Puncher
Summary: A genderswap/AU fanfic that deals with relationships, emotional problems, mechas and Angels. This will be obviously fluffier than the original story as well as all characters names are untouched.
1. Angel Attack

Ah, Evangelion, one of my first and one of my favorite anime shows; I will not change any of the characters names, even though this is a Genderswap fic

Anyway, this is based mostly off of the 90's anime: yes, _THAT one_, but there will be a few subtle differences in it to make this hopefully unique (no applauding and saying 'congrats on getting a self-esteem!' in the end)

However, yes, I do acknowledge the error of an EVA having a male 'soul' in it because we usually have a woman's soul in it; I know I am doing it wrong, which is why I am asking you to bear with me. What I am basically saying is that what if a father or a mother can EVA unit? I know, it sounds farfetched, but love for child isn't always restricted to just one gender.

But that is just me :l

Though I really would like creative criticism or something around those lines in order to communicate on what you'd like to see and what I can do for you

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Angel Attack

When she got the letter in the mail, she dropped all of her things and went: despite her knowing her mother, Shinji Ikari felt that maybe this time it was different.

Shinji grew up with her aunt, uncle and cousin when her father died; she was never close to her mother, who didn't seem to give much thought to her despite giving birth to her.

Yet the teenager still held onto hope, for there was always a chance that her mother would love her, hug her, smile, and tell her how proud she was.

Why else did Shinji take up the cello or strove to be the top of her class?

Her aunt and uncle would always ask her to play it during the occasional party or would boast how bright she was, yet it wasn't enough. Shinji wanted to be acknowledged by the one person who barely seemed to look her way: Gendo Ikari.

Yet despite her mother's frigidness, Shinji remembered the older woman smile (though small bits and pieces) because of her father. Shinji loved him so much, as he was always smiling at her, hugging her, kissing her cheeks, cooing at how she was so cute, and always complimented her.

But Shinji couldn't remember what happened to him other than seeing his gravestone; she cried a lot while her mother stood stone faced, and then when they got home, her mother told her in a lifeless voice that she was staying with her aunt and her uncle.

Did her mother blame Shinji for his death even though Shinji couldn't remember it at all?

She didn't know, but she wanted to prove her mother that she was worth having the older woman's attention and that she could do great things.

Which she couldn't prove right now since things couldn't get any more worse than they already were!

First the broadcast warning, urging people to take shelter, now the phone was not any better, for now she couldn't get a hold of that Misato Katsuragi.

Shinji anxiously tapped her white tennis shoe on the warm road as she held her bag close while she looked at Katsuragi again, who looked pretty hot as he had a warm smile, short purplish hair, and a nice body.

"But I guess we aren't even going to meet, huh?" Shinji grumbled as she let out a sigh, "I shouldn't have come, stupid whatever is happening! I should have stayed at home…!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw a strange boy standing in the middle of the street; that one moment seemed to last for a lifetime as she stared at the boy before a flock of birds flew overhead.

She quickly glanced at them and then back at the boy, who was not there.

"That was… _strange_…," she whispered aloud, before a loud rumble was heard.

She covered her ears as everything shook for apparently a few seconds before she opened her eyes and heard the sound of the helicopters as well as tremors.

Shinji blinked, her mouth open at the strange alien or whatever that was strolling by.

'_What is_ that _thing_?'

But a moment later, missiles were launched overhead and had hit their target, yet the weird monster stood unfazed, only to activate some weird beam from its hand that blew up some of the helicopters.

'_Is… This can't be real! This is too much like a Godzilla movie or something!_'

Shinji fell down in shock as one landed right in front of her, only to be crushed; she braced herself as the helicopter exploded before her yet to her surprise, through the blinding light, she was not harmed.

She looked up to see the guy from the photo opening the door to her, _smiling_ casually despite the _burning helicopter behind the car_.

"Shinji Ikari, right?" Katsuragi asked as he wore sunglasses as his cross swayed slightly, "Sorry about being late"

Shinji didn't reply as she hurried into the car, slammed the door and quickly got on her seatbelt.

As the firefight raged on, Katsuragi quickly put the car into reverse, dodging the monster's foot as well as the smoke and fire.

Katsuragi drove like he stole the car, speeding out of the city while Shinji white knuckled the seatbelt.

'_Oh god, oh god, oh god!_' the teenager thought, her heart beating as fast as the car, '_I should have stayed at home! I don't care anymore! I just want to go home!_'

The car stopped at a screeching halt as they were safely out of the city and far away from the monster.

Shinji let out a breath of relief but blinked as Misato got closer to her.

"S'cuse me," Katsuragi said as he leaned forward and took out a pair of binoculars; Shinji somewhat blushed.

She went to a regular school, but she had never been _this close_ to a guy she considered physically attractive.

He smelt rather nice too…

They were silent for a moment before Misato let out a hiss.

"Oh damn…," he muttered as Shinji blinked in confusion, "Oh damn it, those morons! They're going to use an N2 mine!"

"An N2 _what_?"

"Get down!"

Before she could register what was going on, Katsuragi covered her with his body and within a second they began to violently roll; Shinji let out a scream as they were blown back until they thankfully stopped.

It wasn't until the blast stopped when Katsuragi helped her out of.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Shinji shook her head.

"What… what was that thing?"

"I'll tell you later," Katsuragi said with a grin as he looked over to his car and sighed, "The first thing we gotta do is put this baby down".

Shinji nodded as the two put their backs against the hood.

"Now, at the count of three… Three!"

They pushed back, grunting in exertion, they were able to put it back on its wheels the second push.

"Ah, now that was easy!" Misato declared as he dusted his hands off and looked over to Shinji, "Thanks for your help: if I was by myself, I would have been screwed!"

"I should be… um… thanking you," Shinji replied as she slightly averted her eyes before looking back at Mr. Katsuragi"

But he shook his head and took off his sun glasses.

"Call me Misato, which I believe you would prefer to be called Shinji rather than Miss. Ikari?"

"Ah… true…," Shinji remarked as Misato went back into the car and began to turn the key, yet the engine growled.

"Aw, c'mon baby," Misato groaned as he kept on turning the key, "It wasn't my fault you were blown away… It was those mean, stupid jerks who used that N2 mine… C'mon, start…Pretty please?"

Yet the engine refused to budge.

"I'll give you a wax job…!"

That seemed to do it as the car finally started.

"Thattagirl!" Misato said as he gave a victorious grin as he looked over to Shinji, "Hop in!"

Shinji hurried into the car and put on her seatbelt as Misato accelerated on but half way through Shinji couldn't take it anymore.

"Need you go so fast? You're breaking the law!"

Misato looked over at her with a mischievous smile.

"Well, I do work for the government so I guess that means I am the law, and this is an emergency after all," The older man joked, yet Shinji let out a scoff.

"You are such a child! How did you even get your driver's license?"

"Huh?" Misato snorted sarcastically, "what's a drivers license?"

He slightly jerked to the side, causing Shinji to yelp.

"Stop that! I want to live!"

"Then don't tell me how to drive and I promise you that you'll get there in one piece," Misato said as he slightly stuck his tongue at her, causing the teenager to roll her eyes, "And relax: nobody likes a prude"

"I am not a prude," Shinji retorted as she somewhat blushed, "I follow the rules like other _normal _people"

"Okay Grandma," Misato chortled as Shinji's face somewhat turned redder.

They continued on in silence, the forest slowly creeping up on them until they reached tunnel and through a metallic door with big red letters that spelled out "NERV" and a fig leaf on it.

The name seemed familiar to Shinji as the lights overhead went red yet the lights below were pure white.

"NERV?" the teenager asked as she looked over to Misato.

"That's right: we're a 'secret' organization," Misato explained, speaking over what was being said on the PA, "It's controlled by the UN"

"And…," Shinji paused, "That's where my mother works?"

"Well, yeah," the older man said in a matter of fact tone, "You do _know _what she does, don't you?"

The brunette softly sighed and looked forward; she was both excited yet worried about meeting Gendo Ikari.

"All my teachers… said that what she does is important in the future of mankind…" she quietly replied, and for a moment, there was an uncomfortable pause, "Misato… are we going to see my mother?"

Misato grinned at her despite Shinji looking forward.

"Of course we are: don't your worry about it!" Misato chirped as he turned and was rummaging through a few things.

The teenager blinked and remembered waiting for the bus when she was 7 years old with her duffle bag on the ground while her hair was tangled and her cheeks were sticky due to the tears.

'_Mother…_,' she thought while anger, confusion and guilt began to rear their ugly head yet her heart was beating excitedly.

"Ooh yeah, that reminds me," Misato suddenly said, causing Shinji to blink, "Did your mom send an ID card?"

"Umm…" The brunette blinked and leaned forward and rummaged through her duffle bag before taking out a folded piece of paper, "Y-Yeah, this is it right?"

The paper itself one big black and white paper with almost all of the words marked out and a card clipped to it.

"Ah, thanks," Misato hummed as he took it and opened it up before handing the teenager a thin green booklet with NERV printed on it with tape that said 'for your eyes only' repeating below it, "And for you: a handbook to NERV!"

"Does that mean," Shinji paused as she excitedly held the booklet to her face before looking back to Misato, "Does that mean that I will be kind of working for NERV?"

Misato gave her a hopeful smile.

"Of course… but it is going to be weird since she will be considered your boss," the older man joked, yet Shinji paused; the word 'boss' made her feel that again, that she was just an accessory.

Her expression changed as she somewhat bitterly narrowed her eyes, reminding herself of what her mother usually was, which was usually distance and selfish.

"It… ," She replied as she began to tightly grip the book, "isn't really surprising… she asks for me only because she needed me for something: she's done this before"

"Hmm… Sounds like the two of you don't get along," Misato remarked as his eyes became somewhat foggy, "Kinda reminds me of me and _my mom_"

Shinji blinked.

"What…?"

But before she could ask Misato what he meant, the teenager let out a gasp: she was seeing was only thought to be a rumor.

"N-no way!" She exclaimed as she practically shoved her nose against the car window, "It's a real GeoFront!"

"That's right: this is our secret underground base," Misato proudly explained as they slowly descended down the bridge, "This is NERV Central: this city is the key to rebuilding our world, a fortress to all mankind"

* * *

"Um… I think this is the right way…," Misato said as he looked over the map; cool air blasted at them yet Shinji didn't seem to even notice, "You shouldn't wear skirts around here: these breezes tend to lift them up".

"Huh-uh".

If Shinji was listening, she would have thought Misato was a pervert, yet the teenager had her nose deep within the NERV's handbook.

"Where the hell is Ritsuko? He should be around here…!" Misato muttered to himself before shrugging, "I'm sorry, I am not used to this place!"

"I think we passed this spot twice already," Shinji remarked, her eyes never leaving the pages.

"Don't sweat it: they made these transit things to be used, you know?"

Yet Shinji kept to herself as they went into an elevator, where Misato used the phone to call for this Ritsuko guy.

It wasn't long before the Elevator stopped and a man with blond hair, stern eyes with a mole underneath his right eye and was wearing a dive suit and a lab coat walked into the elevator.

"Um… Hiya Ritsuko!" Misato worriedly chirped with a smile on his face.

"Why are you wasting my time, _captain_?" Ritsuko coldly remarked, "Don't you know we're a little short on_ time_ and _manpower_?"

'_He sounds almost as cold as my mom_!' Shinji thought as she somewhat made a face.

"Eh-he… sorry!"

They were quite for a moment but Ritsuko simply scoffed and looked over Shinji's way.

"So, is this the girl?"

"Um… Oh yeah, right," Misato said as he crossed his arms, "According to the Marduk's report, she's the 'third child'".

"Hmm," the blond muttered as Shinji looked up from her book, "Pleased to meet you".

Shinji blinked for a moment.

"Um... Uh sure…," She remarked, looked between the two men.

"I'm afraid she might've gotten that her mother," Misato jokingly remarked, "both tend to only pay attention to their work".

Shinji said nothing as she returned to the book and merely followed the two men as they went from the elevator and onto an escalator.

"Hear that?" Misato remarked about the PA above.

"It's getting serious," Ritsuko solemnly replied.

"By the way, how is Unit 01?"

"It's configured with Type-B equipment; it's being cooled"

"Does it really work?" Misato asked worriedly, "I heard that it hasn't worked yet… especially since it is considered volatile"

"The possibility of it working is 0.000000001%. O9-system seems like a good name for it," Ritsuko said in an almost detached voice, "It's always been faulty from time to time".

"You mean it _won't_ work, don't you? The Faulty business means a lot out _in the field_ than _on paper_"

"It's not _zero_"

"Let me guess_: 'It's only a number'_," Misato snapped back as he let out a sigh, "Anyway, to say that '_it doesn't work at all_' will be no excuse to get away with"

They were quiet the rest of the trip of the escalator and when they had to go on a speedboat over a large lake of pink water. Shinji looked around, frowning at what would be down here, yet as they entered a room, it became completely pitch black.

"What happened to all the- what!"

Shinji jumped back.

Staring right at her was a strange face with unearthly yellow slits for eyes as it had a purple shell-like face; it looked _human_ but then it also looked _inhuman_.

"A… A face… ! A robotic face?" Shinji sputtered as she quickly skimmed through the handbook.

"You won't find this in the manual," Ritsuko remarked as if Shinji was a 3 year old, "This is humanity's Multi-Purpose Humanoid Fighting Machine, Evangelion. This is Unit 01, it was built in secrecy and is mankind's last chance"

"Is…," Shinji said, finding her voice, "Is this also my mother's work?"

"That is right," her mother's dominative voice came from above, "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Above the Evangelion and in a glass booth above was her mother who hadn't changed as her eyes drilled into Shinji's mind, despite the distance between them.

"M… Mother," Shinji whispered, feeling her mother's judgment being passed; almost instantly Shinji shut off, feeling numb.

"Move out," Gendo Ikari declared, causing Misato to let out a sharp gasp.

"M-move out?" Misato exclaimed, "Unit 00 is frozen! Unless…," The older man paused, taking a side glance of the Evangelion and then forward, "You're _activating_ Unit 01? We can't use that EVA, even if an Angel is breathing down our necks: Unit 01 has more bugs than Unit 00".

"We have no choice," Ritsuko automatically replied, "Like you said, an Angel is breathing down our necks"

"H-hey! We can't have Rei pilot it!" Misato faltered, "We have no pilots!"

"One just arrived," Ritsuko nonchalantly remarked.

"_You are serious_?" Misato asked in a low voice.

"Shinji Ikari," the blond man said, getting the brunettes attention.

The teenager blinked.

"Y-yes?" she asked as she touched her arm.

"You will pilot it"

"Huh…? W-what?"

"But it took Ayanami Rei _seven months_ to synchronize with his Eva, and that alone was Unit 00, which still has some 'wrinkles' in it. God only knows how many of these 'wrinkles' are in Unit 01," Misato retorted, " and she just arrived, it's _impossible_!"

"Just take a seat," Ritsuko said, this time addressing Misato like a child, "We don't expect you to do any more than that: there is even little you can do to stop an Angel. At present, intercepting the Angel's attack is our top priority even if there is little potential of synchronizing with Eva for we have no choice! Do you understand _Captain_ Katsuragi?"

"You…," Misato paused, his voice lined with defeat, "You may be right…"

Shinji lowered her chin and somewhat balled her free hand into a fist; she wanted to hear from her mother rather than here from these people she just met.

She wanted to be proven wrong despite her fear of being considered a tool.

"Mother… Why did you call me?"

"For exactly the reason you think," Gendo replied without hiding her apathy.

"D-… Do you mean that I should pilot _this_… and fight against that _thing_ I saw?"

"Of course".

The teenager remembered what happened to the helicopters earlier that day: they were all destroy with a single sweep of that 'Angel's' beam. And the brunette felt that she was just another lamb to the slaughter.

Shinji blinked, slight tears in her eyes as she felt betrayed; yet part of her knew this should not have been a surprise.

"No way! How can you expect me to willing go into the fray for you? Why did you send a simple letter instead of telling me yourself? I thought you … you didn't want me!" she called to her mother, her heart tightening.

"I only called you because I need you _now_".

"Why _me_ then?" Shinji bitterly asked as she looked to the ground.

"Because the others can't do it: you are the next one".

"_I can't do it_! I've neither _seen_ nor _heard_ of anything of this before! _How can I do it if I didn't know it_?" Shinji wailed to her mother as she began to slightly shake.

"There is a reason why I asked you here, and what he explained should be enough for you to accept: lives are at stake here," Gendo Ikari sternly replied, gesturing casually to Ritsuko.

"N… No... I … I can't! It's impossible…! _I don't want to die_!"

"If you're going to finish this whining, then get in and _stop wasting time_," Her mother's voice snapped like a whip, "Otherwise, _go home_"

The words echoed throughout her mind; she wished her mother could have said something else, yet she didn't and now the words were beginning to fester in Shinji's mind.

Above, the ceiling shook.

"That bastard found us," Gendo remarked as her brows furrowed.

"Shinji, there's no time," Ritsuko said as Shinji bit her lip.

She looked over for Misato to defend her yet the older man looked solemn.

"Please stop beating around the bush and get in".

She blinked, feeling betrayed as she hugged herself with one hand.

"N… No way….! After coming all of this way… it's ridiculous!" The teenager said as she could feel the tears fall, "I just… I don't want to die…!"

"Shinji… why did you come here then?" Misato asked as Shinji jerked to the side stuck out her lip like a child, yet Misato wouldn't have any of that, "Don't run away from your mother, or above that, _from yourself_: if you want to prove your are more, then go in".

"I…," Instantly she began to feel frustrated, "I know! But… I don't think I can do it…!"

Everyone was silent, yet Gendo Ikari ruined it as she turned to one of her many screens.

"Fuyutsuki," One of the screened changed to a well mannered woman wearing a dark suit and had graying hair, "Wake up Rei".

The older woman blinked.

"Is he available?"

"He isn't dead, is he?"

"I understand," the older woman said as she turned away and the screen changed.

"Rei".

"Yes?" a quiet, obedient voice replied.

"The back-up turned out to be _useless_: try again"

"Yes, Ma'am…"

It was apparent that Shinji was no longer needed, for now she was just a fly on the wall.

"Reconfigure Unit 01's systems for Rei and restart it," Ritsuko called out, not giving Shinji a second glance.

Misato walked over to the railing, leaving Shinji to stand in the middle of the bridge.

'_Just as I thought: I am just some part that didn't fit and so I am thrown away_,' Shinji thought, a sour taste beginning to fill inside her mouth as she remembered the bus stop, '_I am still useless… I am so selfish…_'

The doors opened to the right of her, which she turned to see a doctor and two nurses pushing a bed and an IV stand, on it was the same boy with pale blue hair, ghost-pale skin and striking red eyes, however he was bandaged all over and wore a strange white body suit; as he painfully got up, somewhat gasping, Shinji forgot her own misery and pitifully stared at the injured boy.

'_But… I just saw him earlier: how can he be like this?'_

A moment later and again, the ceiling shook, only this time, it was stronger as it caused the injured boy to fall but also caused the lights above to shake violently and fell down.

Shinji shielded herself out of instinct and squeezed her eyes shut; she could have sworn she heard Misato yell watch out yet the teenager felt no pain.

She brought her arms down only to have her mouth to drop: above her was the hand of the EVA!

"Impossible!" Ritsuko uncharacteristically exclaimed, "The entry plug hasn't even been inserted yet! It couldn't move without it!"

"It reached without the interface in order," Misato muttered to himself as he watched Shinji run to Rei, "to protect _her_. If this is a sign, then Shinji can do it".

"A-… Are you…," The brunette tried to ask, yet the pale boy was clenching his teeth in pain, "I… I…"

'_Am so sorry for doing this to you_,' She thought as she gingerly helped him sit up, but she felt something wet on her hand which she saw was blood.

Shinji looked from her hand to the boy and then looked back at the EVA; it almost seemed like there was a warm glow within its strange eyes, as if beckoning her to pilot it.

She squeezed her eyes shut while her heart began to beat rapidly as fear filled her.

'_I… I can't…!I don't want t- no… Don't run away _Shinji, _don't run away, don't run away, don't runaway… Don't run away…_ Don't run away!'

Opening her eyes, she look up at her mother, and instantly she felt a sudden strength she had never felt before.

"I'll do it!" Shinji declared, as she knew she locked eyes with her mother, "I will pilot the EVA!"

* * *

Instead of ending it like the where Shinji is about to be relentlessly beaten up Sachiel, I ended it right where Shinji agrees to Piloting Unit 01

Thank you for reading (or skimming) and have a good day


	2. Change

When I am writing this, I am also watching Evangelion, so I am getting a lot of out of it. But do not expect chapters every 2-4 days (or so I think... It varies) for I am going to be taking off my 'training wheels' soon.

And hopefully those chapters won't be so long :l

**The review/thank you section**

To Cotillon: I shall proceed with caution

Thank you to driftking18594 for favoriting this story and thank you to Cotillon (the review was very much appreciated, even if it was short), icegodofwar, and The Dastardly Muffin for following this story

Those little things means a lot to me, folks :)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Change

She licked her lips anxiously as she sat in the strange chair with strange head pieces that were clipped onto her head.

Supposedly, she was in a tube (or as they had call it a plug) and right now they were moving her into the Eva, yet it felt like nothing was happening.

Immediately the red light changed, flickering slightly before it was a normal light.

"Inject LCL into entry plug," someone over the loudspeaker said as a strange orange liquid filled the pod.

"W-…. What is this stuff?" Shinji called out before she clamped her mouth shut while the liquid filled up the tube.

"Don't worry: after your lungs fill with LCL, it'll supply you with oxygen," Ritsuko explained to her over the two-way-radio, "You'll get used to it soon"

Finally giving up, Shinji let out her breath and instantly the liquid filled into her mouth.

"I feel sick…," Shinji muttered as it then occurred to her that she could actually speak clearly in this liquid.

"Stop being such a baby," Misato's voice scolded her, yet the teenager could hear that he was slightly holding back, "You're young and you're strong: deal with it"

Shinji furrowed her brow, almost wanting to challenge him by saying, '_Who do you think I am? Tomoe Gozen?_'

"Connect the main power supply"

"Yes sir"

"The second contact is beginning," a voice over the PA said, as Shinji blink in surprise as the orange liquid became clear and instantly the room became a rainbow, "The connection of the A 10-nerve is operational"

Just as she said that, Shinji was blinded by a blizzard of sparkling lights that enveloped the entire tube; yet as the lights continued to sparkle on, the background changed to a pitch black yet had silver vein spread all around only to change into a pure red only to shift to match the environment around it.

Shinji let out a small gasp as she could see small specks moving, only to come to the realization that those specks were _humans_.

'_Am I seeing what the EVA is seeing?_' she thought as everything was moving as the supposed launch sequence was taking place, '_But what is the connection between us? I remember some TV shows with the large mechas, but this if far different from those shows, especially this LCL liquid…_'

When she was on the surface, she stared at the monster, face o face, which felt weird due to earlier today, she was looking up in order to see it while right now, she was merely looking straight at it.

"Are you ready, Shinji?"

"Yes, I am," she replied, her bravado fierce as was her self-doubt: this was her first time using an EVA and already she had to use it to take down this alien-thing called an Angel that can float as well as shoot lazars from its hand and withstand missiles.

"Very well," Misato replied before ordering, "Remove the final safety lock! Shinji Ikari: Evangelion Unit 01 is now under your control"

The EVA leaned slightly forward as they disconnected the lock, but it reverted back to it's

"Shinji," Ritsuko said over the radio, "Think only about walking"

'_Walking?_' The teenager thought as she gulped and concentrate, '_Like… lifting my right foot…_'

And the EVA took its first step.

'_O-okay… I can do this…_,' she thought as she began to concentrate on lifting her left foot but quickly she fell over, '_D-damn it…!'_

"Shinji, _get up_: the Angel is above you," Misato urged, not hiding the fear in his voice as Shinji looked up and gasped, "Shinji-"

Instantly the teenager began to shake all over.

'_Oh god_…!' she thought as the Angel reached down and picked up the EVA by its head, '_Oh god, oh god, oh god!_'

A second later, Shinji felt pressure on her arm and she began to scream as she clenched her forearm.

"Make it stop! It hurts! It hurts! _IT HURTS_!"

"Shinji, calm down, it's not your arm: it's the EVA'S arm"

"Please! MAKE IT_ STOP_!" she cried before she could have sworn she heard a crack and instantly the pain doubled, "Oh god, oh god! My arm is… _I can't move it_!"

"Shinji, move your _own_ arm: you are fine," Misato said over the radio as Shinji cradled her arm, "Try and get out of there: you still have-"

The teenager looked up to see a bright light coming from its hand.

"Shinji, _get out of_-!"

It felt like someone stuck a knife inside her eye and kept on stabbing; Shinji let out almost inhuman screams as the Angel continued to hammer it's lazar into the EVA's eye, each hit thrusting deeper and deeper until it punctured through the EVA's skull.

"Make it _stop_!" she howled before the lazar pushed the EVA back to a building.

Instantly everything became black, her heart was racing and her breathing began to hitch; the EVA must have turned off or something for as it became dark. Shinji wiped the tears from her eyes yet she continued to shake and cradle her arm.

Everything was deathly silent, Shinji at the mercy not knowing if the Angel was going to attack or leave; she tried calling out to Misato yet all she could hear were her small gasps and sniffling.

"Help me," she whispered into the pod, as if she knew someone was in there with her, "please help me… I don't want to die… I don't want to _die_…! I…"

She fell silent as a pregnant pause drifted into the pod before something happened, something _changed_.

A familiar presence surrounded her, but instead of feeling frightened, she felt relieved as the pain subsided, for it was as if she _knew_ that she had nothing to worry about for she was being protected.

Instantly the EVA activated, letting out a screech that rattled the buildings around it before it charged full front at the Angel; it was as if someone grabbed hold of the controls for her.

The tables obviously changed as the EVA acted out of instinct, like a wild animal that was released after its cage was rattled for too long. Brutally it began tearing at the Angel, breaking its arms, biting into it, as if tasting the blue blood as a means to mock it: it was almost certain that it would eat the heart of the Angel as if _to eat it's soul_.

The teenager couldn't look away as the blue blood coated the EVA's hands and 'mouth', the sound of the EVA tearing away at the Angel was made Shinji sick but she kept watching.

It ripped at the exposed ribs and tore them off, where the shining red orb that probably served as the Angel's life source; the EVA began to beat down onto the orb, letting out a hoarse screech with every hit it made.

Quickly, the Angel reacted, latching itself onto the EVA's head, but not as a defense but as a ditch effort to kill the EVA by also killing itself.

Despite blinding explosion that desecrated the buildings surrounding, she was unharmed and the presence was still there too.

She looked around, almost swearing she could feel someone else standing in there yet she couldn't explain it.

"Hello?" she whispered, frightened to get a response yet frightened to not get one; was this all her doing this or was it _something else_?

The EVA walked out of the burning mess and stopped, the protective helmet that prevented the explosion from burning the EVA's flesh fell down.

She looked over and saw that beside the EVA was a solar tower with mirrors that hadn't been destroyed by the blast. Shinji stared at the EVA; its strange appearance filled her with foreboding, disgust, amazement and curiosity.

She looked at the area where the eye destroyed before suddenly the skin parted, exposing a pale inner pink flesh where a brown orb emerged and became green. The iris shifted for a few seconds before finally settling on settled on the window, yet it felt like it was looking at Shinji.

The more Shinji and the EVA looked at one another she became sick as it almost felt like she was looking at _her father; _the more they looked at one another, the more the fear grew and soon she became hysterical. _  
_

_"_Stop looking at me!_" _she shrieked as her breathing became hitched as it looked right into her mind, "_Stop looking at me!_"

She kept on screaming until she fainted.

* * *

Shinji jerked up from her bed, breathing heavily, expecting to feel pain but she did not have a scratch on her.

The hospital was a sterile white as the smell of cleanser was very subtle if not unnoticeable; it almost didn't smell like a hospital at all, that is, any hospital she had not been to.

The window in her room showed the parking lot, which didn't seem like a good view, so she walked out of her room, only to see that no one was in the halls.

'_What kind of hospital is this?_' she wondered as she looked about, '_This has to be a private one, but then who owns this? NERV?_'

She walked to the window and touched it, seeing the trees and the mountains in the pale morning light.

She heard a soft clatter, causing her to look over her shoulder to see a nurse pushing a bed where the same boy as before, or Rei, was laying on wearing hospital Pajamas on as well as bandages.

As they passed by, Shinji opened her mouth to say something but stopped.

'_Why can't I even talk to him?_' she thought as she lowered her gaze and sighed.

She returned to her bed and laid on it, as she touched her left arm and flexed it; didn't she _feel_ her arm break?

She then covered her eye, the same one that the Angel had blasted through and removed her hand; didn't it stab into her eye and break her skull?

It was scary to think that she felt all of that pain and yet here she was, unhurt.

"What happened back there?" she softly whispered to herself.

* * *

The day before Misato had asked that Shinji was to be his guardian as well as allow her to live in his apartment; Ritsuko wasn't too pleased (Shinji heard the calculating man raise his voice over the phone) while Gendo seemed once again apathetic.

It took her half an hour to clean last night, and when she was about to take a bath, she also met Pen-Pen, the warm water Penguin whose room was the other refrigerator.

One of the things she learned that Misato wasn't much of a neat freak: he was a slob and a man who enjoyed beer despite how professional he acted at NERV.

Last night, they decided on chores and who cooked on which day, which today, was Shinji's turn.

"Sqwaaak!"

"Ugh, it's too late for _this_…," Misato grumbled as he dragged himself into the kitchen.

"It's 7 in the morning though," Shinji replied, as Misato sat down, "do you need some aspirin?"

"Nah, just give me a glass with an egg, put some pepper in it and Tabasco sauce"

Shinji wrinkled her nose, yet Misato casually waved his hand.

"It's works: trust me, I've done this before".

"Um… I'll look you up on that…"

Shinji knelt down and placed some grilled fish into Pen-Pen's dish who happily ate it; the teenager then went back to the counter and then turned and placed a Omurice omelet in front of Misato.

"Oh whoa, looks good… Did you use the one in the back of the refrigerator?"

Shinji shook her head.

"No: that one was pretty bad… it was _a year old_"

"Hu-u-u-uh? _That old_? I just ate one like that a few days ago"

Shinji was yet again mystified (and horrified) at her new caretaker, who was right now downing a can of beer.

"Um… Misato…," the teenager paused as she sat down, "Should you be drinking _that _right now?"

"What? It's the _best way_ to start the day! Honesty Shinji, sometimes you worry me: _loosen up_," he said as he apparently remembered something, "O-o-oh yeah, you're starting school tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so… Why so soon?"

"I am not going to let you stay around here all week, even though it is a tuesday! Granted, I know you would make the _perfect_ housewife, but I want you to be your own independent woman!" he said before adding as he leaned forward and pointed a finger at her, "I also want you to make friends though too: I want you to be a social butterfly, not a shrinking violet!"

Shinji gave a nervous chuckle.

"Umm... Okay?"

"Not okay: your first priority," he declared before pausing, "No wait, second priority: You have make make good grades too!"

* * *

It was 5 minutes before class started, and yet there were barely a handful of students in the classroom; back at her old school, the entire class would have been filled.

Shinji walked over to Rei's desk, who was looking out the window until she was near him.

"I… umm… I wanted to say that I was sorry about before… and um…," She stuttered as he regarded her with placid red eyes, "I didn't mean to hurt you back there and…"

She paused, yet he remained quiet.

His silence alone was more than enough to answer her.

"Sorry for bothering you…," she muttered as she turned around and walking away.

Shinji stopped by her desk and sighed.

"Neh, looks like another heartbroken," A coarse voice slurred, causing Shinji to look up and saw a tall girl with a pony tail and wearing a dark colored jumpsuit.

"Give her a break, she's obviously new here," remarked short the girl beside her who wore circular glasses and had her hair done in two braids.

"I don't understand why girls go for the cool and quiet type: they're so annoying," the girl said as she crossed her arms.

"Psh, whatever, I find them hot," the girl with the glasses said as she walked over to Shinji and held out her hand, "Sorry about talking in front of you like that: my name is Kensuke Aida"

Shinji blinked and politely shook her hand.

"Um… Shinji Ikari"

"Huh? _Ikari?_" Kensuke somewhat squeaked as the girl in the jump suit sauntered over while her arms are still crossed.

"M'name's Toji," she bluntly said as she lifted her brow at her friend, "What? She shares the same name as one of your favorite _anime_ characters?"

"Hmm… no, not at all," Kensuke said before snorting at Toji, "And anime is good! I expected you of all people to like it since it they _are_ basically an illustrated story".

"Oh, yeah, bi-i-i-ig eyes," Toji remarked as she began to exaggerate around her eyes, "and the chicks have big tits: all of those artists are perverts who-!"

Instantly she was silenced by a bonk to the head.

"That will be all, Suzuhara," a rather tall boy said as he had short brown hair and freckles, "You know the rules about profanity".

"Ah, c'mon, Class Rep: _chill out_!"

He narrowed his eyes at her yet Toji lifted her chin and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever".

The Teacher entered shortly after, and while she already knew the subject, Shinji couldn't help but shut herself off from what the teacher was talking about.

She would always find herself looking at Rei, her heart somewhat tightening at him dismissing her as if she wasn't anything important.

'_And why should he be so interested in me?_' she thought as she rested her chin in her hand, staring at the computer screen with zero interest, '_Just because we are both EVA pilots doesn't mean we should immediately like one another…_'

She sighed.

Near lunch time, she received a message, which caught her by surprise.

'_You can message people through this?_' she thought as she frowned at it.

'"_Want 2 join us 4 lunch on roof? Y/N?_"'

Shinji looked over and saw Kensuke grinning at her before she turned back to the computer screen.

'_Maybe_ _I shouldn't… no… I_,' Shinji weakly smiled as she hovered over to the 'Y', '_It would be good to forget'_

When it was lunch, she and Kensuke walked up to the roof yet Toji wasn't with them.

"She get's the schools lunches, and she is pretty good at getting the good ones," the girl explained with a silly grin.

"Ah… I see…"

Shinji carefully sat down and opened her bento while Kensuke, who had a plastic bag, took out a large bottled of Pocari Sweat and a convenience store bento.

"Huh, I see your mom makes your bento?" Kensuke asked as she split her chop sticks.

"No, I made it myself".

"What? _No way_! It's too _perfect_," Kensuke dramatically gushed, causing Shinji to chuckle.

"Sounds like a hen house here," Toji said as she entered the roof, "What's up?"

"Tell me, does this look like a kid made it?" the braided teenager asked as she took Shinji's bento and showed her friend.

"No, obviously!"

But the teenager adjusted her glasses with a fox-like grin and pointed at Shinji.

"She made it"

"Bull shit"

"Suzuhara," The class rep remarked, causing Shinji to jump.

"Oh hey, Hikari, you joining us?"

The two blinked at her, only to become flustered.

"Well, obviously, I have to keep an eye on any possible _future hoodlums_!" Hikari sniffed which Toji gave a very loud snort.

"You are so stupid, Kensuke, this guy has it in for me! I am going to report him as a stalker soon"

Shinji again couldn't help but giggle.

* * *

Weak fluff is weak; however, I would very much appreciate creative criticism ideas, or something that requires you to type in relating to this story: that would be quite lovely and would make my day

**Here are the things I've changed**

-Shinji is familiar with Mechas, but only in shows

-Shinji is quite a screamer

-I did the morning after instead of the night Shinji arrived

-Kensuke and Toji are friendlier

-Hikari is eating lunch with the dubbed 'Three Stooges'; I know I am really pushing the Toji/Hikari pairing, but I don't mind

-Shinji was the first one two speak between the two outside of NERV; in episode 3, Rei was the first, which she simply said 'Oh hey, there is an emergency, I will clock in first, kay thanks bye!'. FEM!Shinji has _a little_ more confidence than CANON!Shinji, but CANON!Shinji has more snarkier

**Here are some facts you might or might not know  
**

The LCL Liquid is used to cushion blows, just like the amniotic fluid in the womb for the fetus to develop in; hence, proving that EVAs are symbolic for Eve, since both are mothers. Now when I think Adam and Eve, I think the first Angel Adam and an EVA unit :l

Tomoe Gozen was a strong female samurai in either Japanese history or fiction for it is debated on whether she is a fictional character or if she was an actual woman.

In a few ancient cultures, they ate the heart out of vengeance (since it was believed the heart was basically the soul of a person), but it was also believed that by eating the heart of the enemy you deem worthy, you gain their courage.

Pocari Sweat is actually a Japanese Sports Drink


End file.
